Lilacs have an intoxicating scent that sends me back to warm, May days of childhood. The scent signaled the first hint of summer and the knowledge that school would be out soon. Ranging from the palest lavender to fuchsia or deep, royal purple, I've always stopped to smell the lilacs (much more than the roses), but I had no idea I could eat them.

Like most blossoms enjoyed as food, the petals are the prettiest and tastiest — typically any green parts at the base of the flower are bitter.

Here are a few ideas for enjoying edible flowers:

■Chop up petals and mix into butter for a colorful compound butter.

■Warm one part sugar and one part water for a simple syrup. Steep petals in warm liquid and use for cocktails or lemonade.

■Toss onto green salads for a burst of color.

■Decorate birthday cakes or cupcakes.

■Follow recipe directions below for infusing cream with flowers, then use in homemade ice cream.

■Freeze individual flowers into ice cubes for the prettiest iced tea.

Summer's fruit bounty is just around the corner, and as the days grow warmer we enjoy fruit for dessert most evenings.

Super-ripe, juicy berries and stone fruit don't need any additional embellishment to make them worthy of the last course of the day, but who can argue with a dollop of whipped cream?

The light fragrance of lilac and a hint of lemon in the cream need only the slightest amount of sugar to bring out their flavor, but feel free to leave it out if you're serving with a sweeter dessert. This simple, soft cream is perfect for a plain yellow cake or to top the summer's first strawberries.

Recommendations: Look for unsprayed lilacs in full bloom that have not yet begun to turn brown. Gently pull tiny tubular blossoms off the green stems.

Use a vegetable peeler to get wide strips of lemon peel, without the bitter white pith.

Variations and more ideas: If you can't find lilacs, a few teaspoons of dried lavender flowers will add a floral note to whipped cream.

Lemon Lilac Whipped Cream

Makes about 2 cups

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup lilac blossoms (loosely packed)

Lemon zest from 1 lemon

1 tablespoon powdered sugar (optional)

Put cream in small mixing bowl and add lilac blossoms and lemon zest.

Gently stir to submerge flowers in cream. Cover tightly with aluminum foil (to prevent cream from absorbing other odors or flavors) and let steep at least 4 hours or overnight.

When ready to whip, strain cream through a fine-mesh sieve. Whip cream with a hand-mixer or a whisk. As cream begins to thicken, sprinkle in desired amount of powdered sugar. Whip until soft peaks form.

Anna Thomas Bates is a mother and writer living in southern Wisconsin. Find more recipes and stories on her blog, tallgrasskitchen.comwww.tallgrasskitchen.com. Email her at tallgrasskitchen@gmail.com.

Chive flowers are edible as well and are blooming about now. They taste like, um, chives - sort of like a mild spring onion. Amaze your friends by putting whole flowers on pizza, salads or anywhere you'd use chopped chives.

Later in the summer Lavender will bloom. These will make a salad totally different. Please note that some sub-varieties are advertised as 'edible' and others aren't, and not all varieties will survive a Wisconsin winter. Anyone know why only some are edible? Anyone know how to tell the difference? I inherited some plants and I don't know if they're 'edible' or not...